Retired coastguard honoured for saving lives
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HELPING to prevent one of the biggest maritime disasters in history 14 years ago, a former coastguard has been recognised for his part in saving lives and for his years of dedication to the service.
Former Wick coastguard sector manager Sandy Taylor was at the heart of operations during one of the UK’s biggest maritime alerts, when emergency services fought to prevent the drifting chemical tanker Ascania, carrying 1800 tonnes of a highly flammable liquid, from turning into a floating bomb in the Pentland Firth.
He was an integral part of the link in the emergency services chain, helping to co-ordinate callouts with police, lifeboat crews, fire and rescue helicopters, during the four-day incident.
In recognition of that and his 35-year career, he was presented with the Old Pulteney Maritime Achievement Award at the recent Prohibition Ball.
During the near disaster in 1999, a total exclusion zone of 5km was declared, causing 600 residents to be evacuated, with almost 20 separate agencies involved.
Mr Taylor had to brief and accompany the secretary of state, Dr John Reid, as events unfolded and played an instrumental part in the safe diffusion of the situation, earning him the Chief Coastguard Commendation Award.
"When the news first came through about what happened, my natural first reaction was one of shock," he said.
"The biggest thing for me was the amount of agencies I had to co-ordinate with and I had to escort Dr Reid for two days around Caithness while we tackled the emergency.
"The secretary of state stayed at the Royal Hotel in Thurso where I had to drop him off at 9.30pm and pick him up at 5.30am. It was a hectic time.
"You don’t really get to meet ministers but he was very hands-on and was keen for me to update him with any developments."
Mr Taylor (64), of Newton Avenue, Wick, joined the auxiliary coastguard service in the town in 1976, working part-time 18 hours a week. He joined the service full-time five years later before being posted to Kirkwall in 1982, returning to Caithness seven years later.
Retiring from the post last year, he said the coastguard service had changed dramatically since he joined almost 40 years ago but said the people it depends on remain the same.
"The auxiliaries are the backbone of the coastguard as the service would not be able to exist without them," he said.
"There are less people involved in the service now, in 1976, Wick was a full-time station with 12 full-time employees.
"By the time I retired, I was the only full-time member of staff at the station but changes in state-of-the-art equipment and improved communications resulted in that happening.
"There are about 3500 auxiliaries in Britain and they are all needed to help save lives at sea.
"Training them was the best part of my job and I have recommended so many local people to join the service during my career."
Mr Taylor was on a cruise liner in the Mediterranean when he received a phone call from his brother to tell him he was to be given the award.
He wasn’t sure if what he was being told was true at first but said to be presented with the award was a special moment for him.
During his distinguished career, he represented the coastguard at various functions, including being at the Cenotaph in London during the armistice parade and meeting the royal family on many occasions.
Mr Taylor has been married to Margaret for 43 years and has one daughter, Jennifer Richard, and a granddaughter, Lily. He was presented with the award by distillery manager Malcolm Waring during the ball which raised £4600 for Wick lifeboat station.
